New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A WEAR IN EDEN By HARRIET WATERS PRESTON
= I6mo M 400. Roberts Brothers.

limo pp 400. Roberts Brothers
Miss presto ON has written a veiy PAINFUL agree
Able :,npleasant and entertaining novel The STORY
"a worse than sad it is almost peIversely aniiot-
ipo and pessimistic The bad have their own
wav the good suffer and die. But several OF the
characters are attractive the narrative is sp1gh-
w. the descriptions concise and VIVID. and the
wit is sometimes delightfully."- keen. Most OF tho
action takes place in a Massachusetts village near
d ston, long distinguished for good society. cut
ture and lbei al theology and in the picture OF
this typical community Miss Prcstons power OF
sharp but dccorous satjle is admirably eXhioi'eo.
The good cid preacher. Dr. Huntingdon. who gave
the village of PerTont fame In all the ereu'
world of Thought. is just dead when the s'ory
orens He had been to his people Moses-oi
course an improved Moses-lcading them ou'
from the stony wilderness OF suio
Professionalism into the green pastures vi '
Christianity lie satisfied all their wants. DuV
when he was gone his mild delsm seemed 100 ulnio
-Pieuopt could not give up the hapio Oh aoNaho
ing some Of the beleaNed uls'lpies p''ooh '"'"
selves to atheism some to spiritual rapIlnGs' ana
some To n rtualistic revival The book is by no
means a polemical novel, nor is tho religious elc-
mont ever made intrusvely conspicuous IN II
and vet we are made TO feel that the dislntcgra-
ton Of Ie ious belief is one OF the phenomena OF
this supple village which the author has The
greatest zcst in describing She does 1t adroltiy
sometimes with q calm realism which might leave
her own sentiment in doubt sometimes with
hlmor which the most scept1cal could hardly
resist. once or twice at least with unmistaSable
tathos She has refrained from giving THIS staOe
of things any direct action upon the development
OF the story. 1t is only presented us Part OF inc
environment, but SO important a part that IL
makes much Of the value Of the book. The OUT
como of the attempt Of the aged Miss Alth9a
Huntin don to dictate the selection OF successor
for her fathers pulpit is excellent fun- MISS
Altbaa Is cleveily slletched, but with less NE
than the amable Middleton spinsters or the TWO
Bryce boys. The Griswolds PERHAPS occupy o
space disproportionate TO their usefulness for they
have very Ii tie to do with TIE story, and in God
frey Griswuld Miss Preston seems to have pro-
duced persona.e Of indefinite capabilities with
out quite knowing to what purpose she wished
to nut him. MonZa who is probably to be ac-
copied as the heroine is failure. for she has no
attract, qualities TO cOunterbalance her absolute
lack of soul and conscience. Her one allurement
ii said to be her beauty but as the effect OF Thai
cannot be reproduced by description she remains
sor tho reader girl without charm of any KIND
AGATHA AND THE SHADOW. A Novel 16mo PIP.
32l Roberts Brothers.
The new story in the Old Colony Series hnds
O subject in Agatha daughter Of Elder Brewster
and wife Of Bernard Anselm, and the necessary
introduction of the Jewess Rachel with whom
Anselm has had irres ular relations in Holland. |
The ANONYMOUS author has devoted some anti |
ouarian research to the book, but we cannot say
that the result is an agreeable story. The nara
tive gets on after fashion, with many Jerks and
lolts. and much superluous defamation in which |
ranting Rachel has liberal share. But there is
no sign Of the art of storytelling.
n
MOLD. 16mo, PIP. &C. Cupples. Upham x Co.
When Mr. Arnold began the two articles for
i"Murray's Magazine which are reproduced IN
this pamphlet he was under the impression that
General Grants personal Memoirs were almost |
unknown in England, and that Grant himself was
a subject to which the English mind had hardly
been directed. The reading of letter of Grants
led him to the suspicion that he and the rest of
In land might be wrong. This man, said to
myself deserves respect and attention; and read
the two bulky volumes through. 1t is painful
to be Obliged to say that MIR. Arnold found the
language without charm and without high breed
ing. Shall and will were misused, and cOnscriTt
was employed as verb. But on recovering from |
the shock he observed indications of Grants char |
acter which had hitherto escaped his notice. Full
of his discovery he undertook TO reveal the Gen
eral to the En- ish public by means of notice
Of the Memoirs Before the second article ap-
Pea ed he learned that tie book was republished |
in England and had a much larger circulation |
there than nc had supposed. IL does not seem TO
have occurred to him, however, that he was not |
the discoverer Of General Grant, and that he had
nothing to say about the great commander which |
had not been much better said by many other
writers. His estimate" is little more than a
conventional bOoll-notice, rarely venturing upon
criticism except upon slight details, unwse in its
political remarks and both weak and incorrect as
Of mi Ar-
mold, in fact in this poor piece Of work. is clearly
out of his place. lie says that when he saw Gen
eral Grant in England he "did not find him inter-
esting' That is what General Grant would
have said OF Mr. Arnold if it had occurred to him
to express any opinion at all about that gentleman.
as it doubtless did not. They had nothing IN
common. Even now, when Mr.. Arnold intro
duces the conqueror with his distinguished pat
ronage, there is evident certain lack Of comprc-
hension which takes the flavor out of the best
meant compliments. In fact the fasidious critic
of the eleoances and adornments Of life never
seemed to us 80 small. little worth while as
when he ranged himself by the side of this strong
and simple patriot-soldier.
DOROTHY WORDSWORTH. The Story of Sisters
Mead & %.
Mr. Lee expresses surprise that no biography
of the sister of the poet Wordsworth, except a
brief sketch by Principal Sharp has hitherto
been written. But the fact is easily accounted
for Miss Wordsworth's life apart from her
brothers was CT no Importance whatever 10 man
kind, and all that we care to know about her has
been amply tcld in the biographies Of the poet.
Her story could NOT be told intelligently apart
from his All that Mr.. Lee can do is to pick
out passages relating to her from the published
book in which they belong, and connect them by
more less appropriate reflections. Even II the
task had been worth doing, Mr.. Lee, who cannot
wrlte, was hardly the man to undertake it.
TRAMP TRIP. How IN Sec Europe Fifty Cents a